We flew back from San Francisco to Dallas on Tuesday afternoon, unpacked, did some laundry, re-packed and started the drive to Austin on Wednesday morning. I always enjoy looking out at the cloud formations on daytime flights.
The new VW Atlas performed very well on the drive – very comfy and smooth and with all the modern electronics that Penelope is lacking. We met the Ogans for tacos at Nixta before checking into the hotel. This is a place that I had been hoping to try for a while, and it was excellent. Very creative and tasty tacos and tostadas. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the garden patio setting very much. I had a beet tartare tostada that had some kind of whipped avocado base – highly recommended.
After hotel check-in, we had a few hours until dinner at Justine’s. We found a couple of new cocktail establishments. Higher Ground was just a few hundred yards from the hotel, and had great drinks and snacks – all cleverly named after the seven deadly sins.
Our next stop was at the Firehouse lounge. This is a classic speakeasy hidden behind a sliding bookcase in the lobby of a hostel. We enjoyed this stop a lot, with Diana and Anne very impressed that the bartender made them Old Cubans without any help on ingredients or proportions.
We sat on the patio at Justine’s and enjoyed a terrific evening. Denny loved the ambiance and the food. He and I both had a special clam dish with chorizo and frites. What did Diana have? Any guesses? Yes – her first steak tartare of the trip.
Both Diana and I had work most of the day on Thursday and so Denny and Anne were on their own. I ran into them (almost) on my drive to the office as they were scootering down Barton Springs. I joined them for breakfast at Biscuits and Groovy – a very good food truck that even serves French press coffee.
We all met up for dinner at Peche before the concert at Austin City Limits. What did Diana have here? You are correct – her second steak tartare. “But they’re all so good and so different from each other.”
We loved everything about the concert. Three terrific artists/band were inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. We had excellent seats and plenty of room. I’m going to share the pictures in order with the setlist from the evening.
Set list:
Alejandro Escovedo (inducted by Lenny Kaye)
1. “Algo Azul” (with Alex Ruiz and Lenny Kaye)
2. “Sally Was a Cop” (with John Doe, Alex Ruiz and Lenny Kaye)
3. “Put You Down”
Alejandro’s set was my favourite of the night – such a variety of musical styles and excellent song writing. A highlight was him introducing his niece, Sheila E. from Prince’s band. Now we know what the E stands for.
Lucinda Williams (inducted by Jason Isbell)
Certainly the most poignant moment of the evening. We didn’t realize that Lucinda had suffered a stroke about a year ago – she can sing well but isn’t very mobile. Isbell gave the best induction speech – highlighting the amazing lyrics of her songs.
1. “I Envy the Wind” (performed by Jason Isbell)
2. “Crescent City” (with Rosanne Cash)
3. “Changed the Locks” (with Margo Price)
Wilco (inducted by the lovely Rosanne Cash)
1. “A Shot in the Arm”
2. “Sky Blue Sky” (performed by Bill Callahan)
3. “One Sunday Morning” (performed by Terry Allen)
4. “Jesus Etc.” (with Michelle Zauner)
5. “California Stars” (grand finale with almost all performers)
If you look very closely in the bottom right corner you can catch sight of my grey hair. It was about this time 2 years ago that I tried to cut off the tip of my finger in the J.W. Marriott door. McD had me on a very close watch. We introduced Denny and Anne to Velvet Taco for a late night snack – the chicken tikka tacos were a perfect end to a great and very unique evening.
The Ogans flew back to New Orleans on Friday morning, and so we had the day to ourselves. We started out with a good long run along the river – that we seriously payed for over the next few days – not sure why our legs hurt so much. I made a lunch reservation at June’s and teased D by asking her where she would like to pick for lunch – she ultimately got to June’s and wondered if we could get a reservation 🙂 It was another lovely afternoon and we were able to sit out on the patio. What did Diana have for lunch? Yes – the trifecta of steak tartare was completed. I enjoyed some salt cod croquettes and delicious curried escargot.
It was time to move again. We walked about a mile and a half over to South Lamar and had a coffee on the wonderful Opa! patio. One of the places we really miss for Sunday mornings.
After coffee, I took Diana to the tiki bar that I had picked out for Denny (before he had to leave early). Tiki Tatsu-Ya was amazing – we were really transported into another world with outstanding details. It has only been open a few weeks and is doing quite well, even though it’s hidden away behind the Saxon Pub parking lot. Denny really missed out. We’re looking forward to trying some food on our next visit.
Each drink had a very fancy cup. We did not like the Tiki version of a negroni in that scary shot glass at all – needs some work. A totally unique experience again. The menu itself was very impressive.
After Tiki, I gave D the option of TG BAD (two guitars, bass, and drums) at the Saxon pub or an earlier than planned dinner at the Odd Duck. She decided the Odd Duck couldn’t wait. Wise move.
The Odd Duck and Opa! are probably the two places we miss the most in Austin. The menu is always changing, so creative, and there’s no other place that mixes together so many flavours and textures so well.
We started with ceviche, quesadilla, and quail. All fantastic. Still a little hungry, we finished up with the scallops – perfectly cooked. We really love this restaurant.
What an excellent day wandering around Austin and enjoying our favourite places!
Saturday started with a walk (a run was out of the question with our sore muscles) along the river. Then we visited our last old favourite, El Alma, for their excellent brunch. Eggs Benedict are probably not a great option before a four hour drive – that hollandaise sauce put me in a very sleepy state. The Atlas made easy work of the drive back home – I think we’re going to get along just fine.
Finn came over for “football food” on Sunday after work. I had suggested wings to D and she did a great job of cooking them for the first time. The Cowboys didn’t play until the evening and were going with the backup quarterback, Cooper Rush. We were all quite nervous, but they ended up being able to eke out a win to bring their record to 6-1 – best in decades.
We had planned to distribute Halloween candy until the game started at 7:30. Business was light with I would guess a total of 30 kids or less. Here are Ben and Lilly dressed up and ready to go in California. And then Campbell and Molly are a bit scarier in San Diego.
I was too busy to get any decent reading done this week, and we’ve talked a lot about music already, so stay safe and kind!
I thoroughly enjoyed the overall meal and experience. The shrimp empanada appetizer (served in a burlap sack) was a great start. My dry aged chorizo steak was a wonderful way to continue. I’ve never had such a large table side menu before. That’s Norma (my LATAM CIO) and Francisco (LATAM COO) in the picture.
I took Finn for sushi after I picked him up from work on Thursday. He loved the place I chose. The salsa dancer (pictured here) was a great dish, and we picked out a couple of others that were equally delicious. McD was surprised that I wouldn’t go for sushi with her but took Finn. Can’t win!
Ollie made a trip down to San Jose on Saturday and accompanied Will on the patio of Rosie’s Irish Pub while he enjoyed a shepherd’s pie. I’ve had that there before and it’s delicious.
I was texting my friend Tom in New York on Sunday to see what was new. Was not expecting him to reply that he had triplet grand-children. The guy in the middle, Michael, was only 1 lb. at birth and spent 4 months in the NICU- I’m sure he’ll catch up quickly.
I really enjoyed S. A. Cosby’s “Razorblade Tears.” Even better than his last, “Blacktop Wasteland”, with more complex and relatable characters and more vivid action. Not for the feint of heart, but really well done. Here’s the Amazon review:
I’m about 2/3rds of the way through “Away with the Penguins” by Hazel Prior. This was a book that Heather gave Dad for his birthday, and I thought it looked really interesting. It was described as being similar to “Eleanor Oliphant is Just Fine”, a book that Diana and I loved last year.
Denny and Anne celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary last Thursday, and Anne chose this picture to commemorate the occasion. It was taken on a trip we took with them to Nashville in December 2017. Classic Denny and Anne.
We hung out for a while on the lovely porch and then called it a night. Coffee the next morning was challenging – the high-tech, automated house and equipment were almost too much for us. Diana finally rebooted the fancy coffee maker and we were in business.
This was one of the after dinner games we enjoyed. I laughed because Finn is someone that absolutely knows the answer to that question. Another game was a combination of Pictionary and the Telephone Game called Telestrations – highly recommended. That was a big hit with the group.
unday morning. He walked down to the French patisserie with us, we enjoyed breakfast (Croque Madame for me), and brought back a selection of pastries and quiches for the gang. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this T-Rex enjoying a Trump snack in a yard we passed.
I had mentioned to Mum and Dad that I was hoping they would have a stuffed quail on the new Autumn menu – and wouldn’t you know it, they had a delicious dish on there. The overall new menu was filled with things that are right up our alleys. Mussels, octopus, pork belly – all great. Uber back home was a bit more work, but not to huge a hassle.
We hung out at the hotel for dinner and Sunday night football watching. These are my traveling companions Blair and Damon exchanging views on the game.
I read “Lake Success” by Gary Shteyngart in a couple of days early this week. It’s a quick and easy read with a constant oscillation from quirky humour to truly sad situations. The challenge is that the main characters really do come across too much like caricatures, and the main plot of Barry Cohen, uber rich hedge fund dude, abandoning everything to cross the country on a Greyhound bus, just a bit too far fetched. The book made all the big top 10 lists when published in 2018, and I think part of that was driven by the back drop of the Trump election and how that features prominently in this tale. I did learn a lot about very expensive watches – Barry’s passion. Here’s the Amazon review:
My second book was “What’s Mine and Ours” by Naima Coster. It’s been a week or so since I read this book, and I couldn’t remember the plot or characters without some internet research – probably tells you this was not very exciting or memorable to me. I did enjoy the read but it certainly didn’t have too much to embed itself in my memory. Here’s the summary review:
Bob Schneider played an excellent show at the Kessler on Friday night. He performed both an early and a late show, and so we were home at a reasonable hour after a concert in Oak Cliff for a change. This was a good thing as my Saturday started at 7am with a Finn drop-off.
We’ve been enjoying watching the US Open tennis, and particularly the new youngsters that have been doing so well. There is clearly a new generation taking control of women’s tennis, with the amazing feat by Emma Raducanu of winning the final without dropping a set the entire tournament. She was ranked 150th going in.
I’ve read a couple of book since my last posting. “A Spool of Blue Thread” by Anne Tyler is described this way in a review:
My other read was “The Eternal Audience of One” by Remy Ngamije, a writer from Namibia. The story follows Seraphin as he escapes Rwanda, then Namibia, and tries to make a life in Cape Town. Here’s a summary from a review:
The airport was eerily quiet – we were the only folks at all in terminal D security – very unusual. Even Heathrow was relatively quiet and a pretty painless experience. We’re always impressed with the service on the 1 hour flight from London to Glasgow – drinks, full meal, coffee or tea, with no fuss or rush. If only all flights were like those ones. Diana captured the view from the window as we came in to land in Glasgow. That’s the river Clyde in the second picture – where so many famous ships were built in years past.
Monday began with a run around Stewarton – I think we covered most of the highlights including Main Street, Avenue Square and a couple of different sections of park. In the evening we walked around the neighborhood – checking out some of the new developments since we last visited, and admiring the sunset behind Ravenscraig castle.
On Tuesday we tried out a new running destination – Elspeth had mentioned the new Lainshaw Woods trail along the Annick River was very nice. This was indeed a great running spot with nice views and a good path. Quite different than what the area was like when I grew up – quite seedy indeed. The trail follows the river for several miles and is really well done. Some calves had escaped their field and were enjoying the river also.
After that morning exercise we drove down to Culzean castle with a stop in Dunure on the way. Our attempt to show Diana the Electric Brae – an optical illusion where the road appears to be sloping in one direction but is really going in the other – was foiled by a ball that had seen much better days (maybe 40 years ago). Dunure is a very picturesque fishing village.
We had to wait on a reservation at Nardini’s and so had a nice wander along the front. This sign about the Vanduara house being used by Lord Mountbatten during World War II to plot the Normandy invasions was very interesting.
We skipped our run on Saturday and instead drove into Glasgow to get our U.S. reentry COVID tests. This was a very efficient and well organized process and we just beat Elspeth and David back to Stewarton. Heather and Michael arrived later in the afternoon and we gave Dad his presents and cake. It was such a shame that Struan and Emily could join us – both getting over the virus. The living room had been “Bramble proofed” on Friday night, and we were able to measure and see that Diana was in fact a bit taller than Geoffrey the giraffe.
Dinner was excellent – I enjoyed chicken liver pate and sole meuniere. Diana said that the mussels she had were perhaps the best she’s tasted. Here are some more pictures from the 85th celebration:
Elspeth, David and Bramble spent the night in a local hotel, and joined us again for most of the day on Sunday. We got to take Bramble for a run through Lainshaw Woods – risking off the leash as we were assured she was very good that way. She was mostly fine with only a minor incident when she wanted to join right in with another very similar dog who was waiting for her owner to throw a tennis ball. “But why can’t I play too?” Poor bramble was quite tired out by the time McD had her running up the final set of stairs.
Diana tried out the old school clothes drying technique with her running suit. Not something you see much of around Texas cities.
pleasant evening catching up with everyone. Saturday began with a run and walk for D and me, while most of the group went hiking by the coast. The roads were quite hilly and narrow – not completely ideal for running – but a good test for us. The first test was how to get out of the coded gate from the inside without the weight of a car on the sensor pad. We managed to squeeze through and later learned of a code box hidden on a fence post. The driveway is very long.
Saturday afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool, followed by a lovely dinner at “Pamplemousse” – a highly recommended local restaurant in Solana Beach. I really enjoyed my Duo of Game – a Venison Chop Au Poivre and Lemon Thyme Marinated Quail. This was the waiter’s number one recommendation and I’m glad I followed his lead.
Finn started work earlier in the week in the produce department at Market Street (a high end grocery store 2 miles from our home). He’s enjoying it and seems to be doing well in the eyes of his managers.
I read “Clever Girl” by Tessa Hadley over the last week or so. Having really enjoyed a short story from Hadley in the New Yorker, I thought I would give this a try.
Alicia took Finn on an outing to bowl at Pinstack on Tuesday – it’s nice for him to have someone around to hang out with during the day when we’re working. Alicia’s friend had given them a bunch of tokens that Finn deployed to win three stuffies from the claw game that I thought never allowed anyone to win – a hidden talent.
Alicia joined us for a show at the Kessler on Thursday night while Finn kept Clorinda company watching the Olympic gymnastics finals. We kept with our pre-concert ritual of dinner at Nova. Diana burger, Thai cauliflower with noodles for me, and Moroccan chicken for Alicia – quite the eclectic international mix.
Ellis had the first three songs organized and then relied on audience requests. One entertaining moment occurred when someone requested “Two Cans of Paint.” “I don’t remember the guitar part to that.” “I can play it,” from an audience member. “Who is that?” “It’s Stacy.” “My friend Stacy – come on down and play a song for us.” Apparently Ellis had met Stacy on his last visit to the Kessler. She played a beautiful song.
The lineup of talent in the next month or so at the Kessler is very impressive. I think musicians really love playing there.
The “kids” were quickly on board when I suggested Velvet Taco for lunch on Sunday. I’m not sure if it moved since Brent and I visited last, prior to auditioning speakers at Audio Concepts, but it wasn’t exactly where I remembered. I tortured Finn and Alicia with a visit to Interrabang books after lunch – and it had certainly moved – all the way to Lovers Lane and the other side of the tollway. The new store is smaller and I couldn’t find anything that caught my fancy at all. On prior visits I’ve come away with three or four new books. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood.
There was another baking adventure on Sunday evening. Lemon and blueberry cookies with cream cheese frosting was the product this time. The teamwork was solid and Clorinda is working on convincing Alicia to bring some when she returns to California later this week.
There’s a new music technology show out on Apple TV. Mark Ronson hosts a show called “Watch the Sound”, and I’ve been enjoying it with my elliptical workouts. The episode on reverb was fascinating. I had just read in my Robbie Robertson autobiography (more below) about the fantastic reverb available from the concrete chambers underneath the Capitol records recording studios in Los Angeles, and sure enough that was one of the places Ronson visited. That and a massive, abandoned diesel tank in Scotland that is rumored to have the longest reverb in the world.
“Testimony”, Robbie Robertson’s autobiography has been my companion this week. What a fascinating account from an amazing musician who had a front seat to so many musical highlights – backing up Bob Dylan when he went electric, and witnessing Jimi Hendrix first shows in New York to name just a couple. I remember first watching “The Last Waltz”, Scorsese’s movie about The Band’s farewell concert, in university and being completely amazed at the level of musicianship. The book is over 500 pages long and I haven’t quite finished yet.
I got some work done on Monday between coffee with Finn at Duino, and going to Clorinda’s appointment with the retina specialist in the afternoon. Later, I went to my first Happy Hour with some guys in a while. Robbie and Fred from work met me at Union Bear and we really enjoyed catching up for a couple of hours.
On Friday evening, Finn cooked and hung out with Clorinda so that we could attend a concert at the Kessler. Mike Zito and his Big Band with opener Indigenous. We bought tickets at the last minute and so didn’t have a reserved table. No worries, we got there early and claimed the prime high seats at the back beside the mixing desk. That way Diana had a clear line of sight to the stage, and the sound is premium.
Amy spent the night, having had her fill of crashing on the couch at her kids’ apartment. We ordered food from the Little Greek and enjoyed catching up – getting formal by eating our take out in the dining room.
On Sunday morning I watched the British Open golf while Diana and Amy went out for a run. They both miss their running buddies. Jordan Spieth tried hard but couldn’t keep up with the flawless final round play of Collin Morikawa.
I promised some quotes from “Saved by a Song” by Mary Gauthier – my book last week and my favourite of the year so far and by far:
I’m about half way through “Dirt, Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking” by Bill Buford.
The four of us had a last meal together on Friday night, with Alicia flying to San Francisco on Saturday. Everyone really enjoyed the meal at C.T. Provisions – our new favourite McKinney restaurant. Clorinda opted for the duck special and I had the Cornish game hen – plenty of leftovers from both.
Clorinda has been enjoying sampling my library books. This one is about a journalist for the New Yorker, who moves to Lyon in his fifties to learn all about French cooking. She got pretty bored with the details of the French cuisine and moved on to something else.
I was making good progress on “Babbitt” by Sinclair Lewis, when I got an email from the library saying that I needed to return “The Final Revival of Opal and Nev” because another patron had a request for it. So I switched over to that right away.
While I was out and about, Clorinda visited Leah for a haircut. Leah can now proudly report that she has taken care of all three generations.
We had a wonderful anniversary dinner (number 4) on Thursday at C.T. Provisions in downtown McKinney. This is the place where I love the voodoo Benedict at brunch. Their dinner was even better than brunch. Those mussels may be the best that I’ve had, and D’s Hamachi was very fresh and tasty.
Meanwhile, in Amarillo, Will was attempting the Big Texan restaurant’s “Free 72 oz Steak, if you can eat it all” challenge. The key is that “eat it all” includes roll, baked potato, salad and I don’t know what else. What do you think his chances are? Well, Tina, owner of the place, thought them pretty slim and wagered him a pair of longhorns that he couldn’t do it – the same kind you see on the front of the limo that picked Will and Christine up and drove them to the Big Texan ranch.
The only difference is that Candy is attempting “the ole 96’er” – even more than Will demolished. He didn’t make the trip to Amarillo just for the eating contest, but was actually there for Alexis’ wedding. And of course he had to have a pair of cowboy boots – nobody told him your jeans are supposed to go over them – maybe a new fashion trend.
I had a good boys night with Damon and Sean on Tuesday, with stops at the Roosevelt Room for cocktails, followed by a nice cigar lounge. I loved the “Black Pearl” cocktail which was served in a treasure box.
I took a picture of the A’s lineup to show Ben that “Chappy” was playing. That’s his favourite player and he got to attend an A’s game recently in California to check him out.
Campbell flew to Hawaii with Molly on Wednesday and sent this great picture of a sea turtle that was enjoying swimming with them.
Speaking of cooking, Finn continued to explore his baking capabilities, this week with donuts. Here he is mixing up the ingredients, then leaving the dough to rise, and a yummy looking final product. I don’t imagine they lasted too long in a houseful of young men.
Here he is with one of his goats. His friend Derek Houston had been at the Grammy awards a few days before the oyster fest, and Macon told me the story of him calling to tell him they had a “Goat Check” at the Beverly Hills hotel – apparently the “Coat Check” sign was in a fancy font that made it look just like that.
I replaced “Terrorist” with “Babbitt” by Sinclair Lewis. This is a book published in 1922, and described as “a satirical novel about American culture and society that critiques the vacuity of middle class life and the social pressure toward conformity. The controversy provoked by Babbitt was influential in the decision to award the Novel Prize in Literature to Lewis in 1930.